Sad, sad day for my supertrak

[QRTRHRS]

Sorry for the loss of your machine. Is this going to be a hit on your income?

It may not have helped but this is a good example of why we should have fire extinguishers mounted somewhere convenient on our machines. But then, sometimes a total loss is more easily dealt with then something repairable. Just not a good situation.

 

[wmgeorge]

If you have problems with your insurance company, please let us know the name of the company so we can go elsewhere.

Question? Why is it when they are selling the insurance its all wine and roses, and then a claim happens and its like YOU are the problem or why did YOU buy insurance from us!!

 

[Heavyduty]

The insurance adjusters job (game) is to get your claim closed as cheaply as possible. Your loyalty through the years means nothing to them. Insurance is supposed to make you whole again 100% but the adjuster shoots for 70%-80% and you have to fight tooth and nail for the for the remaining 20%-30%. Don't fill bad about yourself if you have to get alittle ugly and/or threaten to go some where else. They know it's coming. If you have trouble with the adjuster it may help a little to call your personal insurance agent. I hope everyone is jumping the gun expecting problems but I doubt it.

 

[dfkrug]

I saw the results of a similar fire in a Bobcat skidsteer last year. Oil line burst, sprayed oil on the hot turbo and instant meltdown.

Well, it is certainly a downside for turbochargers. I had an engine fire at
the racetrack when oil sprayed on one of the turbos. Fortunately, I had
a fire extinguisher in the car (required). Normally, there is nothing in the
engine compartment hot enought to ignite oil mist...even the exhaust
manifold.

Sorry for your loss, LAND....at least there is insurance...there is no ins
on the racetrack.

 

[thatguy]

Educate me on insurance...

Based on the OP - he has a cash value policy.. Does that mean he get what the machine would be worth if it was sold as a used piece of equipment (pre fire obviously)...

Replacement value - Does that mean they would give him a brand new machine?

Do you have a choice between replacement and cash value when you get the policy?

Just wanted to get it straight in my mind..

 

[Taylortractornut]

I ve seen alot of hydraulic oil fires and they arent pretty. I have a friend that built a heater that heats a plate with a wood fire then he has steel hydraulic tub thats crimped to give it a bit a a mist. He heats a large building with it. When I was little I rode with mom to see my older brothers 621 Cat scraper he was running burnt to the ground. They had just put 2 new pull tires on it. He always in the winter had a sheet of plexiglass bolted to the engine side of the seat.
He had a large return line burst and sprayed on the manifold, This line is about 4 inches or more depending on the model and has several psi on it for a return line. It burst while he was running about 25 mph on the haul road back to the cut. When heard the pop and saw the mist he started to pull off and drop his bowl then he saw the big flash. The oil was sprying up on the plexiglass burning and enough went around the back of the cab to burn his coat. No time to shut it off. the fire dept saved only his ldeft fron wheel on the tractor. It was right o nthe side of HWY 72 I remeber seeing this big machine how bad it looked. Later they put his draft arms and bowl on an older scraper;s tractor.

I was working on a bridge several years later when I was 22 on the days off of my regular operators job. This was on a 4 lane and I was going between a crane and an ecavator doing demo work. We were near a frinds thats a logger. He had a nice 550 JD powershift cleaning up some land he had on bearcreek. The dozer dint havethe first engine cover on it when he got it. THey were500 a set and he wouldnt fork it up. On lunch break we could hear him running it and we saw some white smoke. We also heard the machine traveling through the woods down the river. All off a sudden I see the source of the commotion a white cloud of smoke falls off in the river and then when the smake cleared you could see Wayne drivng around in the river on his 550. almost up to the breather. I saw him later and a he hadnt cleaned the machine out and hadnt put o nthe covers and had been piling tops. It was also in bad dry woods during the drought. He had a permanant mat on the riverbed. It was a lucky save.
Im sorry to hear of your loss I hate dealing with the insurance folks to.

 

[ClearViewGroup]

dang man...not a good few weeks for you between that and the kubota...hope things look up!

 

[Heavyduty]

Insurance is supposed to make you whole again, according to how your policy is written. This means (cash value) would take in account depreciation due to age of the machine, hours, and of course condtion. (Agreed upon), also called stated value, means you go in and explain to the agent that your equipment is real specific to your line of work. Meaning you can't go to tactor supply and find one in the store. Tell them it will cost you a given amount to get up and running again because of the rarity of your equipment. If your agent will only write cash value, find one who will do agreed or stated value.

 

[Landwise]

Word on fire ext. Me and everyone that works for me are firefighters, paid pros and volunteers as well. A fire ext would not have helped. Yes we had one in the machine, but the engine would not shut off, even with the key out. High pressure Hyd fluid and an engine compartment that will not open easily prevented us using one.

To open the hood on a Tak, there is a handle on the upper hood, and then one inside of the engine compartment to swing the back open. Plus, the Hyd Winch pins have to be pulled, and the winch swung out of the way. With no protective gear on, this would have caused major injury. NOT WORTH IT.

As to the insurance, it is cash value. I assume, and i do mean assume, that it means what the machine would be worth as is before the fire.

Next point is....IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY! The investigator says a main hyd line ruptured and caused the fire. Where do i stand with a warranty claim to make me whole?

 

[Heavyduty]

I don't know how the equipment being under warrenty is going to effect the claim. I always buy used and cross my fingers. See what they are going to do and let use know. It may not hurt to talk to the guys at the dealship that work in the service dept to see if this is a common item to fail on your machine.